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yes back then i think people were cautious as they are large strong animals, but these days dogs are seen like people/stuffed animals

When i was a child I never approached strange dogs unless the owner insisted.

Strange tho no one will dare try to hold my beastly macaws or even go near them lol Its like automatic instinct to avoid them. SO i guess they are not seen as stuffed animals yet. People panic if one gets behind them and they cant see him lol Like hes going to jump on them and tear them apart.

06-08-2014 01:07 PM

Dainerra

part of the thing was, simply no one thought about it. a dog attack wasn't a topic for discussion - the dog was put down and that was the end of the story.
People took responsibility for their actions and their dogs and children. They didn't make a fuss or argue or file lawsuits.

06-08-2014 10:44 AM

Kovinator

Reading some of these reminds me of getting bit by a cousin's GSD when I was about 6. Playing in a basement with other kids different ages, little parental supervision (the late 70s ; ) The dog was fine, pretty mellow. Sure enough as a dumb kid, I got in its face after it probably had enough and it gave me a 'get the **** away from me!' snap - canine puncture on my forehead -Ouch! Yes, parents and the dog owner should have been more on top of us. Lesson learned- don't get in any animal's face. I try and impress that on my own kids and I make sure I watch my dog around other people's kids.

I was bitten in the face as a child by a cousin's dog. My mom demanded that the dog be quarantined. My mom was bitten by a neighbor's gsd. I don't think anyone had better control of their dogs. In fact, dogs were always roaming loose and I can remember many friends getting bitten. I also had friends whose dogs were biters and I was warned to steer clear of them.

Children also roamed loose more than they do now and the roaming dogs and children certainly intermingled most often without incident.

06-08-2014 01:25 AM

45yearsofGSDs

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bridget

Martemchik, you are absolutely right. I'm sure plenty went on that we just didn't know about. Still I don't think people usually went off the deep end about a simple dog bite.

I got bit once by a shepherd when I was young. My neighbor's dog. Mom went next door, asked if the dog had it's shots, neighbor said yes and mom took me to get a shot - case closed!!!!!

06-08-2014 12:43 AM

Chip18

Quote:

Originally Posted by martemchik

Are we really going to blame kids for dogs that bite them? Sorry...but unless the kid jumps the fence into your yard, there is NO reason for your dog to bite a child. I can actually tell that my dog wouldn't bite a kid because he doesn't see them as a threat. He'll play with them, maybe a bit too rough, but never a bite unless the kid does something stupid. But if the kid has the time to do something stupid, that gets my dog to bite, its MY fault for not supervising the interaction or not having control of my dog.

The story about the kid by the abandoned tracks...seriously? You think the kid was in the wrong? You had NO control of your dog and it was off-leash in a place it shouldn't have been. Even if it was allowed to be off-leash there, its clear that you don't know how your dog would respond to that kind of situation and therefore should've had more control of the dog. I go to a beach all the time with my boy, he ignores the kids like they don't even exist. If anyone runs at him, he doesn't even notice...why? I have a tennis ball that takes all of his attention away from what's going on around him. He's there to play with me, and there is absolutely no danger in that situation.

Sorry, no matter what, if you have your dog out and about, its your fault if it nips/bites/attacks/whatever you want to call it. Unfortunately, I expect my dog to not react to a random child coming at him too fast...and my newer dog, due to lack of socialization, I'm not 100% certain I know how she'd react, therefore, I'll step in front of her the moment I see a situation like that happening. Sorry, no way any child or person should be able to "surprise" you and get to your dog before you can get to your dog and prevent the situation. Leashed...in most areas...means 6 ft, not flexi, not e-collar, not 6.5 feet. If I can't get in front of my dog when he's only 6 feet away from me, it means I'm clearly not paying anywhere near enough attention.

A bit harsh but yeah! If your out in public you have to keep your eyes and ears open! Look back,side to side and ahead. Look for open garage doors or folks working on cars (dogs). Folks talking on the front lawn.. dogs or kids. Only way a kid gets by me is if they parachute in!

You have to expect the unexpected, I cross the street if I see an open garage door, if I can't cross the street,I bring my guy in close and shield him.

Dogs are what I look for kids are noisy and usually easy to spot! If you see them have your dog close!

On one walk a little girl saw Rocky and squealed and ran toward us! Rocky was fine. She scared the crap out of me!! I brought him in closer and we proceeded away like the kid had the plague!

I guess there is a middle ground!

06-08-2014 12:35 AM

selzer

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarfish

the whole thing happened so fast, seconds. by the time we realized what was happening the kid was already almost to the tracks. our dog was also off the tracks to the side of the street. when i first realized the kid was running towards her i did call her but not in the loudest voice and she didn't immediately come. took a second call but by that time she had already barked at him and he was running away. then she ran towards us. she was scolded for her failure to immediately come under distraction and she'll have her Ecollar on next time off leash and she's not allowed to have as much distance from us anymore.

she has always been fine with immediate recalls from other distractions, dogs to squirrels and everything in between. we never dealt with someone charging and screaming. in a sense i'm kinda proud she has a good protective instinct.

How NOT to train a dog:

1. having a dog off-lead that is not reliable with distractions, in an environment that has variables.
2. giving commands in a voice different from what it usually takes for compliance.
3. repeating commands.
4. scolding a dog when it comes to you.

Your dog does not know that it got scolded for not coming immediately while there were distractions, it thinks it got scolded for coming and the next time you call it, it might just think twice about coming to you, because sometimes when it comes to you, you scold it.

And the solution to poor handling, is to put a tool on the dog.

06-07-2014 11:25 PM

Juliem24

My son got bit on the head by one of the house dogs when he was a little one. He used to feast on the kibble, and it's not like I didn't feed the kid! once he decided to push the dog away to eat and learned that wasn't a great idea. He still has scars, though minimal. We've all been bitten, all very minor. The kids got nipped a few times (being taught manners). However, along with the attack on my de-tasseling partner, I witnessed a Labrador go berserk and kill every one of her pups (9) when they were a few days old. I was very young, and I cried for days. It was bloody, she was violent with them, tore them up. I have no idea why she did it, but she was pts shortly afterwards. I was too young to even ask why a bitch would do that.

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